In Indian society, doctors, engineers, lawyers, and civil servants are held in exceptionally high esteem. From a young age, children often find themselves nudged toward paths leading to these careers, with engineering and medical degrees being particularly emphasized. The aspiration for civil services, epitomized by the UPSC exams, is deeply ingrained. However, as UPSC aspirants spend their prime years preparing and trying to crack the exam, the odds are stacked heavily against them.
Every year, over a million candidates appear for the UPSC exams and only about 0.1% to 0.3% of the total applicants are ultimately selected for various civil services positions after completing all stages of the examination, which include the preliminary exam, main exam, and interview.
Hence, Sanjeev Sanyal, an economist and advisor to Prime Minister Narendra Modi argued that India needs more entrepreneurs and billionaires like Elon Musk and Mukesh Ambani and that the youth is wasting their time trying to crack the UPSC exam.
“I think way too many young kids who have so much energy, are wasting their time trying to crack UPSC. I’m not saying you don’t want people to take the exam. Yes, every country needs a bureaucracy, that’s perfectly fine. But I think lakhs of people are spending their best years trying to crack an exam where a tiny number of a few 1000 people actually are going to get it makes no sense,” Economic Times quoted him saying.
He argued that India needs more billionaires because they create more jobs.
“We need to get used to Indian billionaires. Our problem is not Indian billionaires, but that we don’t have enough of them. I want more billionaires, new first-generation billionaires, they will generate the jobs, they will generate the energy, and there should be a continuous churn of them.”
He further opined that if the youth spent the same amount of time preparing for the Olympics or learning a different skill, we’d have more gold medals, better movies and professionals. He added that civil services is not for everybody and for the large part, it is a boring job.
“If they put the same energy into doing something else, we will be winning more Olympic gold medals, we will be seeing better movies being made, we’d see better doctors, we would see more entrepreneurs, scientists, and so on. Life in bureaucracy is not meant for everybody and large parts of it, as with any profession, are largely dull and boring, and about passing files up and down. And unless you really wanted to do it, and you know, you’re not going to be particularly happy with it.”
🚨 "UPSC is boring, there is poverty of aspiration among the youth of India" – Economist Sanjeev Sanyal. pic.twitter.com/BpOTLlZaWK
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) March 26, 2024
Several people online agreed to what Sanjeev Sanyal had to say. They opined that most candidates cannot crack the exam on the first attempt, so because of multiple attempts, they waste away their prime years. In the end, they are left jobless or have to settle for basic jobs with basic pay packages.
UPSC and BPSC dreams have ruined Bihar. Students waste 5-6 years of their peak time preparing for UPSC. 80% of them realise by 3-4 years that they can’t crack it, but by then, they become option less. https://t.co/Dl6qJOq1Ny
— Rahul Raj (@x_rahulraj) March 26, 2024
This is absolutely true. There is a deeper reason – quality of schooling/graduation is often so bad that these students are not fit for the careers they dream of – and yet in a feudal society, they are desperate for ‘status’ (which UPSC success still brings by the bucket). https://t.co/kPYJMic5ee
— HindolSengupta (@HindolSengupta) March 26, 2024
I have many great friends in the Indian Civil Services who are incredibly smart, honest, and hardworking.
At the same time what @sanjeevsanyal says is also true. UPSC isn’t only boring, it is also an incredibly self-centered and largely colonial institution. https://t.co/Na23n0KeLD
— Avatans Kumar 🕉 (@avatans) March 26, 2024
Just today I interviewed a kid who was https://t.co/QIPE5pSJAz from IITM, gave UPSC 6 times, went to interview stage 4 times and did not make it even once. Now gave CAT. He was at least good. There are many who have given 6 attempts and don’t know how many seats are in Lok Sabha https://t.co/dEUwxuioQU
— Ravishankar Kommu (@RVKommu) March 26, 2024
A known of mine has been preparing for UPSC/SSC since the last 3 years.
Living away from family. No job. No friends. Nothing.
Just study. Revision. Mocks. Exams. Repeat.
I don't know what his future holds but if he had gone for job or even started a business, his life would… https://t.co/Tf9qpFY2lM
— Abhishek (@OneAbhishekJain) March 26, 2024
Reducing upper age limit and number of attempts will solve half of the problem. Students should not waste 5-6 years for becoming Babus. Also the society should stop glorifying Beaurocrates like superhumans. https://t.co/Py0tsg2j5J
— Ankurjyoti Bordoloi (@Ankur_J_Bordolo) March 26, 2024
We need to normalise more such talks, It's just so disheartening to see people wasting precious 8-10 years of their life trying to crack government exam just because they don't have to work rest of Their life. https://t.co/VKCTEDaFd7
— हर्षित सिंह (@tooharsh21) March 26, 2024
Not till we don't change the mindset,families want to get out of drudgery & pushes kids into a govt job only to get a secured job & a plush life style. They make kids non risk takers & corrupt because the aim is to better their life not change the destiny of India @sanjeevsanyal https://t.co/CySmFlCLqQ
— पार्वती (@shivanginipatha) March 27, 2024
Most of the aspirants preparing for UPSC are from lower middle class families and poor class families. They have many business ideas. But they do not have money to start a business. They will be able to start a business only if an investor invests. https://t.co/2vcLhjVsfl
— AAS. Rajput 𝕏 (@ayushabhishek99) March 26, 2024
Do you agree with what Sanjeev Sanyal has to say?